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California 

SHOWING LOCATION 
OF 

4Jtfe0it0 County 




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Fresno County Court House 



FRESNO COUNTY 



GEOGRAPHICAL Fresno County is located in the center of 
POSITION the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno City, the 

ANn a dp a County Seat, is situated near the geo- 

Arsu akca graphical center of the State of California, 
and in about the same parallel of latitude as North Carolina. 
The boundaries of the county extend across the San Joaquin 
Valley from the Coast Range Mountains on the west to the 
summits of the Sierra Nevada on the east. The county com- 
prises about 3,600,000 acres, of which about one-third is tillable 
soil adapted to agriculture and horticulture. Fresno City is 
about 200 miles from San Francisco and about 100 miles from 
the sea. 



TOPOGRAPHY 
AND CLIflATE 



Fresno County presents a great variety of 
climatic conditions and soil. The altitudes 
vary from 250 to 13,000 feet. The Coast 
Range Mountains on the west are, comparatively speaking, low 
rolling hills. The country intervening between these hills and 
the Sierra, on the east, is valley land, comprising river bottom 
and upland. The Sierra Nevada Mountains, which occupy the 
entire eastern part of the county, are divided into three re- 
gions — the foothill region, the timber or forest region, and the 
region of snow and ice. It will be readily understood that with 
such a variety of topographical conditions, a corresponding 
variety of climatic conditions exists. Theyearly seasons in the 
San Joaquin Valley are two. The dry season usually begins 
about June 1st, lasting until about the middle of October, or the 
1st of November, when the rainy season begins. The average 
rainfall is about 10 inches. There is an average of 275 days of 
sunshine in the year. The rains in the winter seldom last 
more than two or three days at a time. With the excep- 
tion of very rainy days, there is no time in the whole year that 
men and teams may not work out of doors. The mean average 
winter temperature is about 60 degrees^ The average summer 
temperature is 80. The atmosphere during the summer 




Packing Table Grapes for Shipment 




Emperor Table Grapes 



months is very dry. The summer heat is not so perceptible 
nor nearly so depressing as in localities where there is a damp 
atmosphere. The nights are nearly always cool and enjoyable. 
There are no sunstrokes, no hail storms. The wind never 
reaches a velocity great enough to damage property. The 
health reports show that Fresno City has the lowest death 
r^te of any city in the State. The same statistics show that 
the summer months are the most healthful. The mountain re- 
gions of the eastern portion of the county are always cool. 
These may be reached in about eight or ten hours' drive from 
Fresno City. 

PRODUCTION Tnere is probably no other equal area of 
K country capable of producing a greater va- 

riety of valuable commodities than can be produced in Fresno 
County. Among those that are successfully produced in com- 
mercial quantities are: Cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, hides, 
wool and tallow, lumber, firewood, gold, copper, petroleum, 
wheat, barley, oats, rye, Indian corn, Egyptian corn, broom 
corn, oranges, lemons, olives, figs, all kinds of deciduous fruits, 

3 



table grapes, raisin grapes, dried fruits, raisins, wines and 
brandies, butter, cheese, poultry, eggs, all kinds of garden veg- 
etables, sweet and Irish potatoes, tomatoes, celery, all kinds 
of berries, honey, etc. There are over 500,000 deciduous fruit 
trees in the county, and this number is being added to each 
season. There are about 40,000 acres of vineyard, producing 
raisin and wine grapes. 

idpihation In California irrigation is the one great neces- 
BAriiiTinc sity if success is t0 follow the efforts of the 
FACILITIES farmer. Such are the results of irrigation that 
no well-informed person thinks of purchasing a piece of lacd 
in a section of country that is not well supplied with water. 
In this regard Fresno County may truthfully claim to have 
facilities that are much better than those of any other point in 
the United States. The water for the Fresno system comes 
aows and glaciers of the high Sierras, from a region 
known as the American Alps. The mountains in this region 
reach great altitudes, and during the winter months snow ac- 




t .to 




Fresno Irrigating Canal 





:;:|::iii|ij«Siiil 




A Fresno County Headgate on Kings River 



cumulates in vast quantities upon the peaks and in the can- 
yons. In addition to this snow there are glaciers of living ice. 
These form a storage supply that is practically inexhaustible 
As the summer advances the snow melts and keeps the 
streams running during the irrigating season. The Fresno 
Canal and Irrigation Company operates a splendid system, 
with 300 miles of main canals, and 1000 miles of branch canals, 
and 5000 miles of distributing canals. This great system is 
most successfully operated, and furnishes, during the irrigat- 
ing season, an abundance of water for all. The annual charge 
for water is 62% cents per acre. This is the cheapest and best 
irrigation service in California. 
LAND Lands of many qualities and kinds can be bought 
in Fresno County. There are large areas of land 
VALUES that can be bought for $10.00 per acre and even 
less. This kind of land is fit only for grazing purposes. It is 
not provided with a water right. Land that will raise good 
grain in favorable years may be had from $15.00 and up. Land 

5 




Irrigation Reservoir in the Foothills— Citrus Region 



with a water right can be purchased from $25.00 up. The 
above prices are for what may be termed the cheap lands of 
the county. The better class of land costs more money. First- 
class land for alfalfa can be purchased for $35.00 to $50.00 per 
acre. First-class land for orchards or vineyards can be bought 
for from $35.00 to $75.00 per acre. Improved places can be had 
with orchard or vineyard, or in alfalfa, at from $60.00 up to 
$350.00 per acre. First-class vineyards in full bearing have 
sold during the past year (1900) for $250.00 to $300.00. Good 
bearing orchards have changed hands during the last year at 
from $100.00 to $150.00 per acre. The higher-priced lands are 
situated in the vicinity and adjacent to the City of Fresno. 
First-class land for oranges, land that canrot be excelled for 
that purpose, can be had for from $60.00 to J75.00 per acre. 
First-class lands for general farming, dairying, stock and hog 
raising, for corn, vegetables, etc., can be hacl at from $35.00 to 
$50.00 per acre. There are no Government lands to be had 
that are of much value for agriculture. Land of all kinds can 




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Picking Season in a Fresno Vineyard 



be rented. Grain land is rented usually for one-fourth share 
of the crop. Orchards and vineyards are sometimes rented on 
shares, but the usual custom is to rent for a cash rent. The 
cash rent for orchards and vineyards varies from $5.00 to 
$35.00 per acre annually. Leases are usually made during the 
months of October and November. Lands for all purposes can 
be bought on time by paying down a portion of the purchase 
price. 

INDUSTRIES PLEASANT AND PROFITABLE EMPLOYHENTS 

OF THE THAT MAY BE ENGAGED IN 

The industry for which Fresno is most cele- 
brated is the growing and making of raisins 
This is so, not only because the raisin industry has been a 
source of great profit to the county, but also from another and 
still more significant fact, viz., that the district in the vicinity 
of Fresno is the greatest raisin producing section in the world, 
and the only place in America where raisins are successfully 



COUNTY 



produced. The making of raisins is a very simple process, 
and one that any intelligent man can engage in successfully 
with the information that is always to be had from others en- 
gaged in the business. The grapes that are ordinarily grown 
for raisin making are the Muscat, the Thompson Seedless and 
the Seedless Sultanas. The grapes when ripe are picked and 
laid on wooden trays placed between the vine rows. After 
four or five clays' exposure to the sun they are turned, expos- 
ing the other side. The curing process requires about two 
weeks, after which they are placed in boxes and after a week 
or two are hauled to the packing houses. The value of the 
raisins produced in Fresno County reaches about $3,000,000 
annually. Of course the producing capacity of vineyards va- 
ries considerably. A good vineyard will return from $50.00 to 
$125.00 per acre. It would be quite possible to cite numberless 
instances where vineyards have returned more than the above 
figures. Many vineyards have returned $150.00 per acre. But 
it is better to deal with the averages than to give extreme 
cases of production. The cost of cultivation, pruning, irrigat- 
ing, picking, curing and handling the crop is about $25.00 to 
$30.00 per acre. This shows a net return from vineyards of 
from $25.00 to $100.00 per acre. The variation in the returns 
as shown above is due to difference in conditions of soil, local- 
ity and care. The latter probably has the greatest influence. 

Good vineyard soil with water can be bought for $40.00 to 
$60.00 per acre. The cost of preparing ground for a vineyard 
is from $5.00 to $10.00 per acre. The rootings cost from $9.00 
to $12.00 per acre. The planting costs $10.00 to $15.00 per 
acre. The vines will, with proper attention, begin to bear the 
third year after planting. Raisin vineyards in bearing are to 
be had all the way from $100.00 per acre to $350.00 per acre. 

WINE Wine grapes are quite as profitable in Fresno as 
CRAPES ^ e ra * s * n g ra P es - They require less handling than 
uk rC5 the ra ig mS) as j-hgy are picked and carted to the 

winery at once. A good wine vineyard will,when in full bear- 
ing, yield from six to twelve tons of grapes per acre a year, 
and these sell for $12.00 to $16.00 per ton. The cost of culti- 
vation, picking and delivering the crop is about $20.00 per 
acre, showing net returns of from $50.00 to $140.00 per acre. 
The cost of wine vineyards is just about the same as the fig- 
ures given above for raisin vineyards. Fresno County has the 
reputation of producing the best sweet wine grapes in the 
United States. 




Q 



DECIDUOUS * n Fresno all kinds of deciduous trees thrive, 
ADfHADnQ an( * the orchard business is one of the best 
UKtnAKus that can be engaged in A11 varieties of 

peaches are very successful. In fact, it would be hard to find 
a locality that produces finer peaches or greater quantities of 
them per acre than Fresno. Apricots are a very profitable 
fruit, but perhaps not quite so reliable as the peach. Prunes 
do splendidly in Fresno County. There are in the locality 
some of the largest and finest prune orchards in the world. 
Pears are also one of the most successful fruits grown in 
Fresno. The Bartlett pear produced in certain parts of the 
county cannot be surpassed. Nectarines, plums, apples and 
quinces are also extensively and profitably raised in Fresno. 
These fruits are shipped green, they are dried, and also sold 
to the canneries. When they are cured the process is quite 
the same as raisin drying described before. The fruit is cut 
in halves and the pits removed, and then it is spread on trays 
to dry in the sun. The shipments of fruit from Fresno aggre- 
gate over $1,000,000 annually. The business is increasing con- 
stantly. A good deciduous orchard in bearing should return 
from $50.00 to $100.00 per acre. They frequently return 
$125.00 

Several orchardists have recently contracted their pears 
and peaches to the canneries for five years at $20.00 per ton. 
These orchards yield from four to five tons to the acre. 

The expense of operating an orchard is from $20.00 to 
$25.00 per year per acre, showing a profit of $25.00 to $100.00 
per acre. 

Olives are not so extensively grown in Fresno as some of 
the other varieties of fruit. Those that are grown are very 
successful, and the quality is exceptionally good. The local 
demand for pickled ripe olives is greater than the supply. 
Some of the finest olive oil manufactured in California is 
made in Fresno. The present amount of acreage in olives is 
comparatively small. There is room for many more in this 
delightful and profitable industry. The olive tree is very 
sturdy and will do well upon soil that is not absolutely first 
class. Good land for olives can be bought in Fresno for $30.00 
to $35.00 and up. 

The fig in Fresno County deserves particular mention, as 
there is no other locality in California where the fig will do so 
well, or where so much has been done in cultivating and im- 
proving the fruit. As the result of the efforts of Mr. George 
C. Roeding, a prominent horticulturist and nurseryman of the 
county, Fresno now produces the real Smyrna fig, an achieve- 
ment that has not been accomplished anywhere else in Amer- 

n 




A Fresno Lemon Orchard 



lea. Thousands of dollars* worth of figs have been packed and 
shipped every year from Fresno, but it is hard to guess to 
what magnitude the industry will grow. The success of the 
Smyrna fig enables Fresno to produce an article that is equal 
in every way to the imported Smyrna fig. The fig tree in 
Fresno is a healthy, hardy tree. It is the custom among many 
vineyardists to plant borders of fig trees around their vine- 
yards. These not only add much to the beauty of the prop- 
erties, but are a source of much profit, as the fruit is often sold 
on the trees to people who cure and pack it. Good lands for 
fig orchards can be bought in Fresno at $40.00 to $60.00 per acre. 

ORANGFS * n FresnQ County oranges are grown success- 

K c fully wherever there is water, but the most suc- 

AND cessful orange lands are located in the eastern 

LEMONS part of the county, at the base of the foothills. 
The soil and climatic conditions in this section are admittedly 

• 12 



better than in any other part of the State. The citrus fruits 
of this district have repeatedly taken prizes at District citrus 
fairs, State fairs and international expositions. The advan- 
tages that Fresno claims for this district are freedom from 
frost, and certain conditions of soil that produce a superior 
fruit; but the chief advantage is the fact that Fresno County 
oranges ripen and are ready for market three to four weeks 
earlier than those of most other parts of the State, thus reap- 
ing the benefit of the early high prices in the Eastern markets. 
First-class orange lands, with water, can be purchased in 
Fresno County for $50.00 to $75.00 per acre. The cost of plant- 
ing an orchard is about as follows per acre: For trees, $75.00; 
preparing land and transplanting trees and care the first year, 
$35.00; care the second and third years, $30.00. Orange trees 
will begin to bear the fourth year after planting. At five or 
six years of age the trees should bear well and yield a hand- 
some income. There are practically no planted orange groves 




Picking Oranges 

13 




Alfalfa Field; Planted in flarch— Photographed June 22 



in bearing in Fresno County that are for sale. Twenty-five 
thousand dollars was recently offered for a grove of twenty- 
three acres of nine-year-old trees, but the offer was refused. 
The future of orange culture in Fresno is particularly bright. 
The industry holds extraordinary inducements to those wh(> 
want to engage in fruit growing. 
ALFALFA Alfal ^ a is the most valuable forage plant that we 



AND 



have. In the irrigated lands of Fresno County, 



DA3RYINO a l falfa seems to find a natural home. It grows 
K luxuriantly, and to those who are unacquainted 

with the value of alfalfa in connection with dairying, it is a 
revelation. The crops when cut for hay are mowed three and 
four times a year. The yield from a good stand of alfalfa is 
about two tons to each cutting. This means from six to eight 
tons of hay to the acre every year. This hay is shipped in 
large quantities to Southern California and Arizona. It is 
true in Fresno, as elsewhere, that the most profitable way to 
handle alfalfa is to feed it where it is grown. One acre of 
alfalfa will keep a cow the year through. We respectfully ask 
those who have been used to devoting all of four or five acres 
to keeping one C$w to think this over. 

.The dairying industry in Fresno is one of the most attrac- 
tive propositions that can be offered. It is the surest and 
quickest means of earning money from a piece of land. To a 

14 




Indian Corn Planted in April— Photographed June 22 



man of moderate means it is the stepping stone to the fruit 
and vine business, as it provides an opportunity to earn money 
during the time required for trees and vines to come into bear- 
ing. For this reason we desire to draw the attention of read- 
ers to the fact that Fresno is one of the best dairying sections 



17 



- 




i^i?51^&iS§^ 




Harvesting Wheat, Fresno County 



in the world. Alfalfa can be planted as late as March, and by 
the first of July the first cutting will yield from a ton and a 
half to two tons of feed to the acre. This is the finest feed 
for dairy cows that can be had anywhere. Fresno has some 
very extensive creameries, and these have established skim- 
ming stations all over the county, where the farmers sell their 
cream. To any thinking man who knows about dairying, these 
conditions suggest the way to a profitable business. Follow- 
ing we give the opinion of experts and the statements of some 
of our practical dairymen. Mr. McNulty, manager of the San 
Joaquin Creamery, says in an article on dairying: 

"The question is often asked, Does dairying pay? It is our 
opinion that there is no other place on the map of the world 
where one's finger can be placed where feed can be grown so 
abundantly and cheaply as in the San Joaquin Valley. Alfalfa 
is pre-eminently a cow feed, and the butter produced from the 
milk of alfalfa-fed cows, if skillfully and scientifically handled, 
produces a texture and a flavor that cannot be surpassed. In 
proof of this we can point with pride to the fact that the first 
premiums of the State Fair at Sacramento have repeatedly 
come to Fresno. It is predicted that within the next five years 
every acre of alfalfa in the San Joaquin Valley will be covered 
with dairy cows, and. that experienced dairymen from all over 
the country will come here to settle. Cows can here be run 

18 



on green pasture the year round. We can here produce a 
pound of butter for less than half what it can be produced in 
either Illinois, Iowa or Wisconsin. California imports an- 
nually from the East about 1,500,000 pounds of butter. That is 
something else to think over." 

Mr. Murphy, manager of the Danish Creamery, states that 
their patrons are milking about three hundred cows. The 
average amount of money paid for butter fat is $55.00 to $60.00 
per cow annually. This is exclusive of the value of the calf 
and the skim* milk. 

The following is a letter from a Fresno County dairyman: 
"I milked last year an average of forty-three cows per month; 




» 



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r 







A Fresno County Cattle Range 



sold during that time butter fat to the amount of $55.93 per 
each cow; also raised and sold calves and hogs to the amount 
of $19.71 per each cow, making the total earnings of each cow 
for the year, $76.65." 

Numerous statements show that the above returns are 
about the average in Fresno. There are numbers of state- 
ments that run very much higher than these, but it is suffi- 
cient to be able to say that in Fresno County the average 
return from one cow is $56.00 to $60.00 for butter fat, and 
$18.00 to $20.00 for calf and skim milk, or $75.00 to $80.00 total 
annual yield from ONE COW AND ONE ACRE OF LAND. 

These are not fancy figures. They are being realized in 
Fresno County right along. The feed upon which this is being 




Hauling Grain to flarket 



done is almost entirely and universally alfalfa. First-class 
alfalfa lands can be purchased in Fresno County for from 
$35.00 to $50.00 per acre, including water right. 
CORN AND Fresno County plants annually about 300,000 
OTHPP acres of wheat and barley. The value of hay 

uincK and grain expor ts i s about $1,000,000, in addi- 

CEREALS tion to which are large quantities retained for 
home consumption. Fresno County has lands that produce 
seventy bushels of Indian corn to the acre. Large quantities 
of Egyptian corn are also produced. Broom corn is also pro- 
duced in large quantities on the bottom lands. 

POULTRY These are sources of much profit to the sm^i 

AND EGOS £ armer - There is always a good local market 

JrL ' for eggs and chickens. Eggs do not bring less 

ETC. than ten cents per dozen, and from that up to 

thirty-five cents. Chickens bring on an average four dollars 
per dozen the year round. 

Honey is another source of profit to the small farmer. We 
have authentic record of farmers on twenty to forty acres who 
have made from one thousand to two thousand five hundred 
dollars in a year on honey alone. Alfalfa honey is very fine 
and ranks with the clover honey of the East. 

Vegetables and small fruits are another means by which 
the farmer may add to his income in Fresno County. Truck 
gardening is very profitable. The city of Fresno, with a popu- 
lation of 17,000 people, consumes a great many more vege- 

21 




Seventy Bushels o! Indian Corn to the Acre In Presno County 




A Field of Watermelons, Fresno County 



tables than are produced in the county. Fresno County has 
as rich garden lands as can be found in the State. All kinds 
of vegetables are raised successfully. Potatoes, tomatoes, 
sweet potatoes, celery — all can be produced in perfection, and 
there is a sure home market for all that any one wants to 
raise. Berries are also very profitable. The home demand 
does not begin to be supplied. These small products all bring 
high prices in our home markets. Fresno is noted as a pro- 
ducer of a very fine quality of watermelons. Not only is there 
a large local demand for them, but, on account of their 
superior flavor, they are in great demand in markets as far 
east as the Rockies. Hundreds of cars are shipped to Portland 
and to Montana and the Dakotas. This one product reaches a 
value of $100,000 a year. 

CATTLE These are all produced in large numbers for 

HOGS AND b°th home use and shipment. In fact, so favor- 

able are the conditions for this business in 

SHEEP Fresno that thousands of cattle are brought 

from other less favored sections to the pastures of Fresno 

County, where they are fattened for the markets of San Fran- 

23 




Lumber Mill in the Mountains of Fresno County 



cisco and elsewhere. Hogs are a source of great profit, both 
to the large stock grower and the small farmer, particularly 
to the dairymen. 

IN THE Tne mountains in the eastern part of the county 
flOUNTAIN are vas ^ storehouses of wealth. Almost every 
known mineral is to be found, and while we 
REGIONS have some few mines that are worked for gold 
and coppsr, this great region of mineral wealth is practically 
not exploited at all. There are deposits of gold, silver, copper, 
coal and iron, limestone, granite and marble — all waiting for 
development. In this region are found the great forests from 
which over $1,000,000 worth of lumber is made annually. This 
lumber includes yellow and sugar pine, cedar, fir, and red- 
wood. Some of the trees from which this is cut are the largest 
in the world, being the Sequoia Gigantea, measuring over one 
hundred feet in circumference. There are two large lumber- 
ing plants which bring the lumber from the mountains in 
•lames that are sixty miles or more in length, to the towns of 
Sanger and Clovis, where it is manufactured into building 
material of all kinds, and into boxes for the shipment of our 
fruits. The Sequoia, or redwood lumber, is shipped all over 
the United States. 

24 




Sequoia Gigantea Forests of Fresno County 



OIL 



Fresno County is a large producer of crude oil. The 



wells are located in the southwestern part of the county, 
in the vicinity of Coalinga. The district comprises some wells 
that are among the best in the State, and yield several hun- 
dred barrels per day. This supply of fuel oil so near to Fresno 
is a very great advantage. It means that we have close afe 
hand cheap fuel for all purposes. With this fuel there is nol 
reason why Fresno should not become a manufacturing center. 
The Fresno County oil is the best in quality that is found in 
California. It carries a larger percentage of the distillates, 
kerosene, gasoline, benzine, etc. It is the best oil for manu- 
facturing gas to be found in the State. The value of this oil 
as a fuel will be understood when it is stated that from three 
to three and one-half barrels is equal to a ton of first-class 
coal. The oil costs about one dollar a barrel in Fresno i 

25 




In the Oil Fields of Fresno County 



ELECTRIC 
POWER 



The San Joaquin Electric Company has a power 
station on the San Joaquin River, about thirty- 
five miles from Fresno City. This power is de- 
livered to Fresno and also to towns in adjoining counties. The 
entire length of transmission is about sixty-five miles. This 
company furnishes Fresno with lights, and the power is used 
in several of the manufacturing establishments of the city. 
The power costs in Fresno about $45.00 per horse power a 
year. 




Interior of Packing Houte 

26 




Hauling Raisins to Packing House 




Picking Grapes 




Packing Seeded Raisins 



MANUFACTURING Among the manufacturing and com- 
AND COMHERCIAL mercial enterprises in Fresno, the 
ENTERPRISES packing houses, where the raisins and 

K K dried fruits are packed and prepared 

for shipment, are the most extensive. It is hard for one who 
has never seen the packing houses of Fresno to realize the 
magnitude of this enormous business. There are in Fresno 
County fifty or more great packing houses where fruit and 
raisins are handled in quantities that are a surprise to any 
stranger looking at the operations carried on here during the 
fruit-packing season. Fruit and raisins are handled by the 
hundreds of tons. The larger packing houses occupy from 
sixty thousand to one hundred thousand square feet of floor 
space. They employ from two hundred to four hundred hands 
during the packing season, and the packed goods are shipped 
away in trainloads. Recent inventions have been made for 
extracting the seeds from raisins. This industry is carried on 
by the packing houses, and has grown to very large propor- 
tions. 

During the past year a large factory has been erected in 
Fresno which is entirely devoted to manufacturing olive oil, 
and by-products from the refuse and waste of the packing 
houses and wineries. Even the raisin seeds are utilized. The 
wineries of Fresno are among the finest and largest in the 
country. There are thirteen large wineries in the county, pro- 
ducing annually over $1,000,000 worth of wine, and $250,000 

29 




- v :^\' 



Fresno High School 



worth of K - andy. A new brewery, with a fine large brick 
building, is one of the new manufacturing enterprises in 
Fresno. In addition to these are an ice factory, creameries, 
agricultural implement factories, flouring mill, box factories, 
canneries, etc. 

LABOR ^ w *** ^ e rea ^ily understood that, with such large 
K enterprises as have been mentioned above, there is 
always a demand in Fresno for good labor. Particularly is 
this true of the season when fruit is harvested and cured and 
packed. During this season thousands of hands are needed to 
gather the fruit and grapes and attend to the drying and haul- 
ing to the wineries and packing houses. The light work, such as 
cutting the fruit for drying and packing it in boxes and fancy 
packages for shipment, is largely done by women and girls. 
Young men and boys can always find employment in the or- 
chards and vineyards during this season. During the past two 
years mechanical labor of all kinds has been in great demand 

30 



iii Fresno. The building trades have been particularly busy. 
In fact, there is no reason for any man being out of work in 
Fresno. 

EDUCATIONAL Tlie P ublic school system of Fresno County 
is unexcelled anywhere. The buildings are 
all modern and well equipped. The City of Fresno has hand- 
some school buildings. The High School is one of the most 
imposing structures of its kind in California. There are seven 
High Schools in the county, two of which stand upon the ac- 
credited list of the State University, and pupils are graduated 
prepared for collegiate course. Fresno County has 127 school 
districts and 231 teachers employed. There are also good 
business colleges and a conservatory of music at the City of 
Fresno. In addition to the other advantages named, the City 
of Fresno has a fine opera house, good churches, a County 
Courthouse, costing over $200,000. The city has recently re- 
ceived from Mr. Andrew Carnegie a gift of $30,000 for a public 
library, which will soon be erected. In fact, there are all the 
advantages of a modern attractive city — good sewerage sys- 
tem, well-paved streets, good fire department, and, what is 
perhaps the most remarkable of all, there is no bonded indebt- 
edness. The City of Fresno is quite a railroad center. There 
are eight lines radiating from it. Fresno City and most of the 
principal towns of the county are upon the lines of the two 
transcontinental railroads, the Southern Pacific and the Santa 
Fe. These furnish the best of facilities for transportation 
and for shipping. The City of Fresno ranks No. 3 in shipping 
importance in California. It is the metropolis and busine^ 
center of the San Joaquin Valley, and the natural gravitating 
point for the production and commercial energy of a great 
and enormously productive section of country. Regarding the 
financial condition of Fresno County, it is only necessary to 
say that there are in the City of Fresno five banks, represent- 
ing a capital of $750,000, and having deposits amounting to 
$3,650,000. 




Reasons Why Fresno County is a Good 
Place in which to Locate 

It is a healthful place. 

It offers a greater variety of occupations than most other 
places. 

Its agricultural and horticultural possibilities are unlim- 
ited. 

It has more advantages and fewer disadvantages than 
most other places. 

Good soil. 

Good climate. 

Plenty of water. 

A man with a small capital can locate in Fresno County 
on twenty or forty acres of land, go to raising alfalfa and 
dairy cows, and he can begin to earn money quicker than in 
almost any other place. With ordinary industry and intelli- 
gence he can, within a few years, own a fine orchard or vine- 
yard, a property worth from $150.00 to $350.00 per acre. This 
has been done by others; it is being done by others; it can be 
done by you, if you are willing to try. 



This Pamphlet 

is issued by the Chamber of Commerce of Fresno 
County, California. Persons desiring further infor- 
mation will be furnished with same on application. 



EVENING DEMOCRAT PRINT, 
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 168 260 5 4 






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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 168 260 5 




